“We began the War for the Union alone, but...The Nation was taught that God had linked to our own, the destiny of an enslaved race--that their liberty and our Union were indeed 'one and inseparable'... .”
-- James A. Garfield, May 30, 1868, retired U.S. Army general during Civil War, and later U.S. President in 1881.
1927 - Martin Wheat and his wife, Virginia Caroline Shanks Wheat.
Source: United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890, FamilySearch, Missouri > Phelps > All > image 8 of 39; citing NARA microfilm publication M123 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
On November 30, 1910 he was admitted into the Federal Soldier's Home of Missouri in Saint James, Phelps County, Missouri:
Please see two pages below from Martin's pension request. I tried my best to brighten and define this copy of a copy of a copy. My source is a generous researcher named "feesk1" on Ancestry who first shared this on her tree in May of 2014. It is rich in details. I hope that Ancestry soon makes available a whole database of similar pension applications.
Martin's nephew, David Edward Wheat (son of Richard Wheat and Rachael Markley Wheat) was born in Marion, Indiana on December 3, 1869 and died August 17, 1938 in Medora, Macoupin County, Illinois. His family left his descendants (and a happy sister-in-law) a wonderfully detailed obituary. This from the Alton Evening Telegraph newspaper on Thursday, August 18, 1938, page 3, in Alton, Illinois, via Newspapers.com:
Source: U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 via Ancestry
Richard Wheat's death certificate from the Missouri Secretary of State's database online:
Curious about a family's ancestor during the Civil War, we were surprised to find that THREE of his sons had enlisted and fought in the Union Army from Charleston and/or Pendleton County, (now) West Virginia. George Washington Arbogast and his wife, Mary (Reed) were parents of ten children. Their teenage sons, Michael, Francis, and George Jr., served with the 7th Regiment, West Virginia Cavalry. Among the many splendid web sites researching this regiment's history is:
First, a page from the 1860 Federal Census showing the family of George and Mary "Arbagas" living in Clay County, Virginia, beginning on line 20.
Another record (see attached) reports these dates' events on a Michael Arbogast:
June 1862 (8th VA Infantry) Wounded at the Battle of Cross Keys on June 8. Absent sick, with leave.
July 1862 - Absent sick at Cumberland Hospital
Dec. 1862 - Absent since Dec. 5.
July 1863 - July 24, Cherry Run. Deserted before the Enemy.
A later record dated January 26, 1865 shows:
Wheeling W Va. Pvt., Co. K, 7th Reg. West Virginia Cavalry, Remarks: Deserted at Cherry Run July 18, 1863.
This battle at Cherry Run was soon after Gettysburg. Two different records show two desertion dates--both in July 1863 at Cherry Run. I found this from Michael's commanding officer, Benjamin Kelley. My word, the sheer number of soldiers, horses, and gear moving through the countryside!
Cherry Run, Va., July 22, 1863—12.30 p.m.
TO: Major-General Meade:
I crossed the Potomac at this place with my force, about 6,000 strong—3,200 infantry, 2,500 cavalry, and three batteries—on the 15th and 16th instant, and occupied Hedgesville, Berkeley County, 7 miles west of Martinsburg. On Saturday and Sunday skirmished briskly with Hampton’s brigade near Martinsburg. On Monday, Hill’s and Ewell’s corps moved from Bunker Hill to Martinsburg, and a strong cavalry force was sent through Mill’s Gap into the Back Creek Valley to cut off my retreat. It therefore became necessary to fall back to this point, and recross the river.
I am ready to go forward again at any moment, and annoy and harass the flank and rear of the enemy; whenever I can do so without unnecessarily endangering my small command. Will you please keep me advised of your movements and whereabouts, so that I can act in concert with and subordinate to your movements?
B. F. Kelley,
Brigadier-General
I do not find young Michael on the 1870 Federal Census. He appears on the 1850 and 1860 rolls, but is hiding from me in later censuses. The 1860 census transcriptions spells his last name as "Arbagas" so evidently I'm not sufficiently creative in my use of keyword searches. I will continue to guess at how his name might have been misspelled. Or perhaps he died soon after the War? No pension record has been found for a Michael Arbogast. His whereabouts were also unknown to family historian/cousin, Chuck Eades. Did he seek his fortune in gold in California? Was he sent to Andersonville or another prison?
GEORGE, JR.: Young George had to obtain his Dad's consent to volunteer, and I think he lied about his age. Please see the images within this gallery.
I've spent this evening learning of my paternal 2xGrandmother's father-in-law. Matilda never met him, as she married his son, James A. Price (her third husband), in 1900 long after Linsey was killed in the war between the states.
Several databases are uploading military records which is a boon for family historians. I especially like learning the physical descriptions of my ancestors. Why, unless you committed a horrendous crime and had your face splashed across a newspaper's front page, few documents from the 19th century describe a person's coloring, height, and weight as do military enlistment docs. The Union Army's records offer more detail than do those of the Confederacy.
Linsey Price enlisted June 5, 1863 and served with Company F of the 11th Regiment Cavalry. While Price may have been born and bred in Kentucky, he joined a Missouri unit with the Union Army. Many researchers spell his name "Lindsey." But I only find his signature showing a spelling of Linsey. See for yourself in these splendid actual docs:
Did you see Pvt. Price was "5 foot 7 inches high," fair complected, hazel eyes, with dark hair. And his health record, word! The detailed questions. I've not seen that before in Civil War records.
Our Wiser family alive in 1906 and living in Liberty or Chambers County Texas might have read this in the local newspaper.
